Doc Drop - Council Agenda - Feb. 21, 2012

The Hyattsville City Council meets in a rare Tuesday meeting tonight on account of the Presidents Day holiday. The agenda and packet were not available on the city's homepage as of Sunday evening, but they were posted to the City Council listserv on Friday evening. Check out the full agenda and council packet here, and follow along tonight with Hyattsville Patch's City Council Liveblog. 

Among the items before council tonight: 

• Contract, Bonus Time: The City Council is slated to take consent votes on a $2,500 bonus for Jim Chandler, director of the department of Community and Economic Development. Chandler, a ranking contract employee, was the subject of a Feb. 13 closed-session performance evaluation conducted by the City Council. In order to receive the bonus, Chandler had to receive a minimum performance rating of "effective." In a separate motion, Chandler's employment contract will also be voted on, spelling out a $74,000 annual salary with a 1.5 percent annual increase and a retention bonus of $2,500. If Chandler quits within a year of receiving either bonus, he has to pay the city back the bonus money within 30 days. 
• Legal Eagle Eyes: The City Council is also slated to take a consent vote to extend a contract for legal research services in relation to Blakes vs. The City of Hyattsville, a federal civil rights and employment lawsuit filed against the city by a former police officer. The contract is not to exceed $10,000, and spells out a $55-per-hour service rate for research expected to arise out of depositions for the trial underway this week.
• Facade Improvement Grants: The City Council is set to approve roughly $91,000 in grants to five downtown structures. You read about this last week
• Emergency Fixes to Business, B&B regulations.
• A $110,000 Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan: Expect more on this one tomorrow.